When We Were Young
by Libbyrose1333
Summary: Juice Ortiz is new to Charming. New high school, new friends, new experiences. When he meets Opie Winston, Jax Teller, Tara Knowles, and Emma Johnson, his senior year goes much differently than he ever thought it would. But he just isn't sure if it's for better or for worse. (High school AU, Juice Ortiz/OC)
1. Chapter 1

_**Hey! So I've been messing around a little with this high school AU idea for a little while, so I thought I would share it with you guys! I really like the idea of it so far, and I would really like to hear what you guys think. Thanks so much for reading, much love! xx**_

* * *

Juice walked down the school hallways, glancing from his paper to the numbers above the doors. This was just his luck. Getting lost on his first day. _Fucking great_. Just when he thought he couldn't get any less lucky, he heard low rounds of laughter coming from around the corner. He sucked in a breath, knowing that there was no way whoever was laughing wouldn't notice him walking down the empty hallway. He let the breath out. Before he could psych himself out any more than he already had, he slowly rounded the corner and saw that the laughter was coming from a group of three people that were standing in somewhat of a circle just a few feet away from him, leaning up against the lockers. He looked down at his paper again, knowing that they might not like the interruption. Especially since they were basically skipping class.

Juice continued to walk with his eyes glued to his paper. Just when he thought he had gone unnoticed, one of them spoke up. "You lost, man?" The low voice asked. Finally looking up from his schedule, Juice was greeted by a guy who looked like he was maybe 16 or 17. He had a small smirk playing at the corners of his lips, and a layer of baby pudge surrounding his cheeks. He was also incredibly tall for a high schooler, and Juice briefly wondered if this guy was part of the school staff.

"Uh, yeah – a little," Juice let out a small chuckle, shaking his head at the paper he held in his hand.

"Here," the large guy nodded towards the paper as though he was asking if he could see it. Juice handed it to him, waiting as he watched him look it over. After a few moments, the stranger nodded slowly before giving it back to him.

"Okay. So you have English with Mr. Ward right now," he pointed behind juice and waved his finger to the left. "That's just down that hall and to the left. Room 305."

Juice let out a breath he didn't even realize he had been holding. "Okay. Thanks, man."

He nodded slowly. "No problem. You new?"

"Yeah. Just got into town the other day. Kicked out of my last school." It wasn't technically a lie, but Juice felt the need to exaggerate the trouble he had gotten into for the sake of his own reputation. It was a new school. Why not start new?

The burly guy looked impressed for a brief moment, a small grin coming over his face. "Nice," there was a short pause, as though he was thinking something over. "I'm Opie by the way. Opie Winston."

"Juice Ortiz."

"You have Ward?" Another voice called out before either one of them could say anything else. It was one of the two people that Opie had left behind when he came over to talk to Juice.

Juice's eyes trailed to the source of the sound, which had seemingly come from another guy who was tall and had blonde hair that nearly fell to his shoulders. He was facing Juice, and somewhat shielding the person who was leaning against the lockers next to him so that Juice could only see their legs. He gave the blonde a nod in response to his question. A smirk twisted the corners of his lips and he let out a laugh. "How convenient. So does Em."

Opie let out a booming laugh, his eyes darting to the person who was just out of Juice's sight. He jerked his head in an upwards nod. "Right. You should be getting to class now anyway, don't you think?"

A soft scoff sounded from behind the muscular blonde, and the person that Juice hadn't been able to see finally pushed off the locker and moved to stand next to Opie. Juice would be lying if he said he wasn't surprised. The girl was short and had dirty-blonde hair that fell down to her belly button in a waterfall-like wave. She was wearing a white peasant top that came off her shoulders and made her sun kissed skin appear as if it were almost glowing. There was a small scatter of freckles across her nose, and her eyes were big and green.

"Shut the hell up, Winston," she sighed with a small roll of her eyes. The left corner of her mouth lifted slightly, taking the sting out of her words. Juice couldn't help but notice the dimple that was evident in her cheek. As though she knew he was staring at her, her bright eyes flashed to him, and he felt as though he had just been caught cheating on a test. He looked away for a brief moment before meeting her gaze once again. She raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Great. So you two get to class and we'll see you later," Opie's blonde friend said in a slow drawl, looking Juice over as though he were assessing him, or even sizing him up. When he was done, he looked at the girl, an easy smirk transforming his face. "Have fun."

She pursed her lips slightly, widening her eyes in a mocking way before watching the two tall boys retreat in the opposite direction, their low laughter filling the hallway as they went. She gave a small shake of her head as they turned another corner and were no longer in sight. Turning back towards Juice, she rolled her lips together and started walking. He was a little surprised when she walked straight past him, barely sparing him another glance.

Pausing for a bit, she stopped in her trek down the hallway, throwing him a look over her shoulder as though she had no idea what was wrong with him. "Coming?"

Juice swallowed, offering her a nod before following after her, feeling a little stupid for just standing there. He ended up walking beside her, looking at her and taking note of their height difference now that they were closer to each other. It was a little funny. Cute.

Before he could stop himself, Juice began speaking. "So – um - what grade are you in?"

The girl's eyes flashed up to him at the sound of his voice. "I'm a senior."

Juice mentally slapped himself. They were both going to the same honors English class. For seniors.

"Right. I probably should've guessed," he chuckled a little, rubbing a hand against the back of his neck in an almost nervous gesture.

They suddenly stopped in front of a door. The girl looked up at Juice, her eyes looking over his face for a brief moment before her nose crinkled a little, as though she was thinking about something. "Yeah, probably," she finally said, cracking the smallest of smiles. Even the small grin showed off her deep-set dimples. Juice couldn't help but feel triumphant.

"Emma, by the way," she said after a very brief pause. Juice cocked his head to the side slightly, his lips parting as though he was about to say something, but she spoke again. "Since you were wondering…" she trailed off with another playful grin. Before Juice could say anything else, or even introduce himself, she opened the door and walked into class.


	2. Chapter 2

Juice stood in the student parking lot after school, making casual conversation with Opie and his friend Jax about their Harley's. When the two boys had discovered that Juice had a Harley of his own, they were pleasantly surprised. They had even brought up the garage they worked at after school and on the weekends, and how they could try to hook Juice up with a job there if he was interested. Juice was relieved. It would be much easier than going around town in search for some job that he didn't have much interest in anyway.

As the three of them spoke, Juice found his gaze wandering across the parking lot towards a certain beat up truck. Well, maybe it wasn't so much the truck that caught his attention, but the girl that was leaning up against it. _Emma_.

Her eyes were trained on the taller brunette girl that was standing next to her, nodding along as she spoke. The two girls laughed, and Emma shook her head, looking down at her scuffed up converse as she kicked at the pavement.

A hand came down on Juice's shoulder, the sudden contact startling him a little bit. Opie chuckled at his reaction, patting his back roughly. "You still listenin'?"

Juice nodded slowly. "Yeah," he laughed, taking his eyes off of Emma. He wondered briefly if either one of the guys had noticed him staring. Taking a look at the two of them, his question was answered instantly.

"Bad idea, dude," Jax shook his head, mounting his Harley that was parked next to Opie's only a few feet away.

Juice's eyebrows furrowed in the slightest. "What do you mean?"

"Emma," Jax continued, looking at him as though he should have known what he was talking about the whole time. "Not a good idea. Shouldn't get mixed up with that."

Juice glanced at Opie before his eyes returned to Jax. "I thought you guys were friends…" he trailed off, not quite understanding where this conversation was going.

"We are," Opie was quick to interject, placing his own helmet on his head. "Which is all the more reason."

Juice gave him a look.

Opie laughed. "What I mean is, she's not good at that kind of shit. Relationships, feelings, whatever you're thinking, man. Don't get me wrong, Em is probably the nicest person you'll ever come across, but she'll tear you apart," he revved the engine of his bike. "Not a good idea."

Juice was more than a little confused by the contradictory statements, but he wasn't sure if he should ask any more questions.

As though sensing his confusion, Jax picked up where Opie left off, raising his voice a little so that he could be heard over the engines of their bikes. "She's cute, sure. Got that air of mystery and shit around her," he rolled his eyes a little at his own words, as if he couldn't believe he was actually saying them. "But she can't do it. Can't connect like that," he finished with a shrug, slipping a pair of sunglasses onto his face.

Juice decided that it was best to not talk about Emma anymore, so he just nodded dumbly and said his goodbyes to the two of them before they peeled out of the parking lot, the rumble of their engines fading as they drove away from the school.

Juice mounted his own bike, Opie and Jax's words replaying in his head. He scoffed quietly to himself, wondering why the hell he was even thinking about it. Emma was just some girl. And it was only his first day at the new school. There was no point in getting caught up in that kind of shit anyway. He revved the engine of his Harley, finding his gaze drifting once again to the short, dirty-blonde girl who was leaning against the old Chevy Sidestep. But this time, she was looking at him too. Their eyes met. Held. Emma raised an eyebrow, her green eyes challenging him.

He offered her a small smirk before he looked away, making his way out of the small student parking lot.

* * *

Emma sat with Jax on the hood of her truck, the two of them looking on as a few of the club members made their way around the garage during their shifts. Laughter and loud conversation carried out through the area, filling everyone with a certain sense of home.

Jax took a drag of his cigarette, looking over at Emma as he exhaled. "You workin' tonight?"

"Yup," she answered shortly, taking the cigarette from between his fingers before taking a drag of her own. Emma didn't smoke often, hardly at all, but from time to time she figured _what the hell_.

"You kiss your mother smellin' like menthols?" Jax joked, snatching it back from her. Emma turned her head towards him, blowing her smoke into his face in a way she knew would annoy him.

"You kiss Tara smellin' like menthols?" She teasingly mocked, nearly laughing at the instant grin that seemed to come onto Jax's face at the mere mention of her name. He looked down, taking another drag of the cigarette in an attempt to hide it.

"Shit," she giggled. "You have it _so_ bad."

He laughed. "Shut up."

" ' _Shut up'_?" Emma pressed a hand to her chest, feigning hurt. "What would Tara say if she heard you talking to me like that, young man?"

Jax groaned, hopping off the hood of the truck before throwing his cigarette butt onto the pavement before crushing it with the toe of his shoe. "Go to work. No one wants you around here," he joked, offering his hand to her to help her off the hood.

Emma rolled her eyes, nudging him away with her leg before hopping down onto the ground next to him. "Probably a good idea. Don't want to keep the good people of Charming waiting."

Jax stuck his tongue out at her as if he was 5 years old, and Emma scrunched up her nose in annoyance before turning her back to him and getting into the truck. Just as she was starting it up, Opie jogged up to the driver's side, placing his hands on either side of the window and nodding to indicate that she roll down the window. Emma sighed. "What do you need, Winston?"

"Chibs was wondering how late your shift was tonight," Opie breathed, running a hand through his growing hair.

"Till 10 I think."

"Okay. Nice. Think you could stop by afterwards? Pretty sure we'll all have worked up an appetite by then," Opie grinned, wagging his eyebrows at her.

A line formed between Emma's eyebrows, and she let out an exaggerated puff of air. "You guys are the worst."

Opie leaned into the truck, planning a smacking kiss to her forehead. "You're the best."

Emma chuckled to herself as he jogged back towards the garage, shaking her head. These guys _definitely_ owed her.

* * *

Juice threw himself onto the sofa with a heavy sigh, his head falling back against the cushion as he stared up at the ceiling. He had just finished unpacking most of the shit in the living room and his bedroom, and was glad that he got it done before his mom got home from work. It just meant that there was less for her to worry about. He lifted the back of his hand to his forehead, wiping away a few beads of sweat. They still hadn't turned the AC on, and it was hotter than hell in the small two bedroom apartment.

Before Juice could start unpacking the kitchen, there was a heavy knock at the door. Juice got to his feet, happy that the pizza he had ordered about half an hour ago was _finally_ there. Swinging the door open, he was more than a little shocked to see the none other than Emma standing with a box of pizza. She had yet to notice him yet, and was looking down at the receipt and adjusting the bag on her shoulder that contained other pizzas.

"Sorry it took so long," she said with a laugh. "Lots of people are hungry tonight I guess…" she finally looked up at him, her words dying on her lips when she realized who it was.

Juice crossed his arms, leaning against the door frame. "Guess so," he stated simply, amused by the absurdity of the situation. Emma was the last person he expected to see delivering a pizza to his front door.

Instead of commenting on it, Emma shook it off, her eyes seeming to twinkle with laughter. "You always answer the door half dressed, Ortiz?"

He shrugged lazily. "Only if I'm ordering pizza."

"Right," Emma thrust the box towards him, getting back to the reason she was even there in the first place. "That'll be $9.50."

"Sure," Juice reached into his pocket, pulling out a 10 dollar bill and handing it to her, taking the pizza off of her hands. Emma unzipped the bag of cash that was attached to her waist, pulling out 2 quarters before offering them to him.

"Your change is 50 cents," she said breezily, as was custom.

Juice waved her off. "You keep it."

Emma raised her eyebrows, her green eyes filling with even more unshed laughter. "50 cents, huh? Wow, how generous of you."

"I try," Juice grinned. He took a moment to look her over. She was wearing a pair of light wash jeans that had a hole in the knee, her work shirt clinging to her soft curves. It rode up slightly as she adjusted the pizza bag on her shoulder. Her long, dirty blonde waves were pulled back into a messy braid underneath a baseball cap with the name of the pizza place on it.

"Done staring? Because if not, I'm pretty sure I should get tipped a little more."

Juice's eyes found hers once again, and he let out a short laugh. He ran a hand over his hair. "Thanks," he finally said, lifting the pizza up a little.

Emma nodded, hiking the bag up higher on her shoulder. "No problem. Just doing my job."

With that, she turned away, starting down the hall towards the staircase. Juice stepped half way out of the apartment, not even quite sure what he was doing.

"Emma?" He called after her.

She stopped short, looking at him over her shoulder. Her eyebrows were furrowed, her lips parted in question. "Something wrong?"

"Uh, no, nothing is wrong," Juice started lamely, suddenly regretting even ordering the damn pizza in the first place. "Was just wondering what you think about the garage. The one that Opie and Jax work at, I mean."

Emma rolled her lips together, her eyes looking past him as though she was thinking it over. She met his gaze again, her head tilting to the side a little. "Good place. Good people. Can't really complain," she held his gaze for a moment before continuing. "Go for it. Don't really have anything to lose."

Before Juice could say anything else on the subject, she began walking down the stairs, not giving him the chance. He wondered briefly how many times she was going to do that to him. He slowly turned back into his apartment, thoughts of the short girl with an attitude filling his head.


	3. Chapter 3

Emma lied sprawled out across Opie's ridiculously huge king-sized bed, staring up at the spackle on the ceiling while trying to make out different shapes and faces. Opie was leaning against the headboard, repeatedly tossing a small toy basketball in the air and catching it when it came back down. Emma's fingers tapped against the comforter to the rhythm of a song that was stuck in her head, her head slowly bobbing along.

"Em?" Opie spoke after quite some time, catching her attention.

She rolled over onto her stomach, resting her cheek against her folded arms, looking up at him with expectant eyes.

He continued to throw the ball into the air. "What do you think of the new kid?"

The sudden subject of "the new kid" surprised Emma. Juice had been at their school for a week now, and had become fast friends with both Opie and Jax. He was even going to be starting a half-time job at Teller-Morrow. Where was Opie going with this? "Ortiz?"

Opie rolled his eyes. "Yeah, dumb ass. Ortiz."

Emma blew the air out of her cheeks flippantly. "He's okay."

" _Just_ okay?"

"What else do you want me to say?"

He shrugged a shoulder. Threw the ball into the air. "Think he's someone you could see yourself hanging out with?"

Emma lifted herself onto her elbows, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly. "Why are you being weird?"

Opie caught the ball after throwing it one more time. His hazel eyes met hers as he searched for the right words. "I know when it comes to certain… _feelings_ -"

"Opie," she scowled.

He held up a hand, waiting for her to let him continue with what he was saying. "You can be a little abrasive, Em. That's all I'm tryin' to say. Don't want him getting the wrong idea. You either."

Emma threw him a look of exasperation. She had no clue where the hell this was coming from. "I don't know what exactly you _think_ is going on between me and the new kid, but –"

"Nothing. I know nothing is going on. C'mon, give me some credit," Opie cut her short, letting out a snort of laughter. "But if Juice ever wanted _something_ to go on, I wouldn't want you scaring the shit out of the poor kid."

Emma pursed her lips. This was definitely not a conversation that she wanted to be having right now. Or ever, for that matter. Opie was being completely ridiculous, but she didn't feel the need to say that out loud. She was sure that he knew. They never usually talked about these kinds of things, and for good reason.

"Whatever you say, sasquatch," she dismissed casually. There was no way she was going to make this conversation any longer than it had to be.

" _Sasquatch_? Sorry that I'm not shorter than the average sixth grader," Opie scoffed, letting out a loud laugh as Emma dug her elbow into the side of his stomach.

"You're an ass."

"I try my hardest."

* * *

Late Saturday afternoon, Emma pulled into the parking lot of Teller-Morrow, parking her truck in its usual spot. For a few moments, she just sat there, staring off into the garage where all the men seemed to be hard at work. However, something was a little different. And that something was the new employee working under the hood of an old Chevy Impala. Emma let out a short laugh, shaking her head and taking the keys out of the ignition before shoving them into her back pocket as she got out of the truck and made began to make her way across the lot. She pushed open the door to the office, giving a small nod to Gemma who was on the phone with someone. Gemma nodded back, her focus immediately returning to the conversation that she was having with who Emma assumed to be a client.

Emma pulled her hair into a loose ponytail before trailing over to the filing cabinet, waiting for Gemma to get off the phone so that she could relieve her of her shift. It was a few minutes before the older woman said her goodbyes to the person on the other line, ending the call with an annoyed sigh.

"Hey, sweetheart," she finally greeted, standing up from the uncomfortable office chair and making her way over to where her jacket and purse were sitting.

"Hey, Gem," Emma hummed, sitting down behind the computer with a few papers that needed to be filled out.

Gemma leaned over the desk, planting a quick kiss to her cheek. She seemed to be in a bit of a rush to get out of there. Not that Emma could really blame her.

"Computer is working for shit today," Gemma said, her hand already on the doorknob. She slid her large sunglasses onto her face. "That new kid said he'd take a look at it. Apparently he's some type of computer whiz. Hell if I know," she snorted. "I'll see you tomorrow, hun."

"Have a good night," Em offered her a smile.

"You too."

With that, she was gone, already half way across the parking lot. Emma didn't think much of the brief exchange, focusing on the computer instead. If she could get it working on her own, she figured she could avoid Juice coming in there and distracting her. As if on cue, there was a knock on the office door. Emma muttered some choice words to herself under her breath before clearing her throat. "Yeah?" she spoke loudly so that she could be heard through the door.

Juice popped his head in, his eyebrows shooting up to his hairline at the sight of Emma behind the desk. Why did she always seem to be wherever he least expected her? He stepped into the office, closing the door behind him. "Hey. I was supposed to come in and look at the computer," he explained, shoving his hands in his pockets and nodding towards the computer monitor.

Emma let out a slow breath before standing up so that he could take a seat. "Go ahead."

Juice sat down in the old rolly chair, trying to focus all of his attention on the computer. Not that Emma was distracting. No, not at all. He barely even paid attention to her. He grimaced internally at his pathetic attempt at convincing himself of something so seemingly insignificant.

Emma was over at the other desk, a pen between her teeth and a line forming between her brows as she looked over some paperwork. Juice glanced at her briefly. "Everything alright?"

She turned her head to the side. "Everything's fine. Unless you fucked the computer up some more."

The corner of Juice's mouth twisted. "Was thinking about it. Maybe another time though."

Emma hummed, returning to what she was doing. Several moments passed, the office quiet with the exception of the occasional sound of the mouse clicking or Juice typing on the keyboard. Only about ten minutes went by before Juice stood, walking around the desk and standing a few feet away from Emma.

"Should be working fine now."

She looked at him for a second. He had his hands in his pockets again, his lips rolling together as he waited for her to speak, his big brown eyes full of life. He was cute. She'd give him that.

"Juice Ortiz, _computer extraordinaire_. Who would've guessed?" she mused.

Juice shrugged a shoulder, a grin making its way onto his face. "What can I say? I live to please."

"I'm sure you do," Emma made her way around him, returning to her original spot behind the desk. Her green eyes flashed up to meet his, and she tapped her pen against the desk. "Anyone ever tell you it's rude to stare?"

"I may have heard it somewhere before."

She breathed out a laugh, shaking her head and looking back down at her paperwork before speaking up again. "Saw you working on that Impala."

Juice rocked back on his heels. "Yeah. It's mine, actually."

Emma looked up, her full lips slightly parted. "Seriously?"

Juice suppressed another grin. He nodded in confirmation.

"What year is it?"

" '67. Was my aunt's. Inherited it before we moved to Charming."

She clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. "Lucky you," she gave him a small smirk, the dimples standing out in her cheeks.

Juice swallowed, about to say something else when there was a knock on the office door. Emma's eyebrows furrowed. It was pretty late in the day, and people tended to avoid coming by Teller-Morrow after a certain time. It went without saying, but the Sons didn't have the best reputation around town.

"Come on in," she said loudly, tearing her eyes away from Juice. She wasn't even sure why he was still there. She should've made him leave as soon as he told her he was done with the computer.

A boy that looked around their age stepped half way into the office. He was about the same height as Juice, and had slightly greased back brown hair. His eyes went straight to Emma, pretty much ignoring Juice's presence all together. An easy smile graced his features. "Hey."

Juice had no idea who the hell this guy was. He looked vaguely familiar, but it was clear that he knew Emma.

Emma cleared her throat. "Hey, Jim."

Juice slowly turned his head towards her, a look on his face that said " _Really? Jim? Is this guy 30 years old?"_

She shook Juice off. "What can I help you with?"

"Uh, my car is making a pretty weird wheezing sound. Was wondering if someone here could take a look at it." Jim explained, his thumb pointing behind him towards his car that was parked in the lot.

"Sure. Just need you to fill out some paperwork," Emma pulled out a clipboard from the desk, putting some papers onto it before handing it to him and gesturing towards the cup of pens that was sitting on the other desk.

"Juice?" Emma's melodic voice spoke up after a second, bringing him out of his assessment of the customer.

His eyes went straight to hers, and she jerked her head in the direction of the door. He got the idea. She didn't want him hanging around any longer than he had to. Especially now that someone else was there. With a quick nod, Juice stepped towards the door, passing Jim on his way. The two of them caught each other's eyes, and Jim gave Juice a smirk that put him under the immediate impression that he was up to no good. He could practically see it in his eyes. This guy was bad news. How fucking _typical_.

Before making any further comments, Juice left the office, walking back towards the garage. He didn't care. He didn't care about Emma, or that stupid _Jim_ guy, or whatever the hell the two of them were doing. He could give a shit less about who Emma was involved with. She could do whatever the fuck she wanted. It was dumb of him to think she was even remotely interested in him. He had just barely gotten into town after all, and it was clear that neither one of them were interested in anything of that nature. Both of them had more important things to worry about. It was a non-issue. Glancing back into the office, he could see Emma through the window, her head thrown back in laughter.

He quickly looked away.

Yup. _Non-issue_.


	4. Chapter 4

"I'm coming!" Jax yelled from the other side of his front door, making Emma let out a small giggle. She had been knocking on the door for about a minute straight, knowing that Jax always took his time to answer the door. She liked to hurry him up a bit.

The door finally swung open to reveal Jax, an exasperated look on his face. "It was unlocked, Em."

Emma offered him a charming smile, showing off her dimples. She shrugged her shoulder. "I didn't want to be rude, Jackson," she teased, walking past him into the house.

He let out a low chuckle, following her down the hall to his bedroom. "Well that's new."

Emma threw herself onto his bed with a sigh, making herself comfortable as she had a tendency to do. She let her eyes close, and heard Jax scoff to himself. Opening one eye, she peeked up at him.

"You just got here. Don't tell me you're already thinking about sleeping."

Emma laughed a little, pulling one of the throw blankets up to her chin. "Just getting ready for that great movie you promised me."

Jax had invited Emma and Opie over to watch a movie at his place that night. Opie was supposed to be there the same time she was, but unsurprisingly, he was running a bit late. Jax was over by the TV he kept in his room, looking through his DVD's.

"Sure you are," he murmured, mostly to himself, too concentrated on looking for something to watch.

A few moments of comfortable silence fell, and Emma let her eyes close again, smiling a little to herself. This is what she loved. Getting to spend time with Jax and Ope, just like they used to do so often when they were kids. As the years passed, the three of them became more and more busy, and it was becoming more difficult to come across times when all three of them could get together like this. Of course, that was if Opie even planned on showing up in the next hour.

"Where's Ope?" She asked quietly, keeping her eyes closed.

Jax hummed, and she could imagine the look on his face as he thought about it. One corner of his mouth turned down, rolling his eyes as if it didn't really matter. "Maybe things are running late at the garage."

"Huh. You would think that you would be affected by that too, but here you are, lazy ass."

Jax turned around to look at her, picking up a pillow and throwing it at her face. She let out a loud laugh, finally looking at him. "Don't be mean."

As if on cue, they heard the front door open, closely followed by the opening of Jax's bedroom door. Opie stood in the doorway, offering Jax a nod before glancing at Emma on the bed. He toed off his boots, throwing himself onto the large mattress next to her. She let out a tiny yelp, bouncing up a little as his weight was added to the bed.

"Oh shut up," Opie commented on her exaggeration, pulling on the ends of her hair.

She snorted at him, moving a little closer. "You're warm, Ope."

"We live in California, Em," he stated as though she was dumb.

She moved over to lay her head against his shoulder, not acknowledging his comment. Things like this were normal between them. There was no romance or hidden intimacy in the act, Emma had been doing it for so long that it just seemed normal.

"Don't you dare fall asleep," Opie muttered to her, although she could feel him moving around under her, already getting more comfortable.

Jax finally spoke up, plopping himself onto the bean bag next to the bed. He must have put the movie in already. "No kidding. You can't miss this, Em."

"Okay, okay," Emma half-heartedly agreed, still keeping her eyes closed. She knew they'd still be hanging out long after the movie, even if she did decide to take a little nap.

She felt herself dozing only a few minutes into the movie, the vibrations of Opie's laughter lulling her to sleep.

* * *

The room seemed to be getting louder, slowly waking Emma from her short sleep. She could occasionally feel a hum under her, and she remembered that she fell asleep on Opie. He must have been talking. Letting her eyes open slightly, she squinted at the TV that was still playing the movie.

"You guys," she complained, laying her forehead flat against Opie's chest so she didn't have to see the light again. "Are so _loud._ "

"C'mon, Em. I invited our newest victim, I thought you'd be glad," Jax laughed, rather loudly, probably just to annoy her.

Emma furrowed her eyebrows as she tried to process his words. "What the hell are you-" she cut herself off mid-sentence, turning her head to look at him. Sitting next to him was none other than Ortiz himself. Emma fought the urge to roll her eyes. "Oh."

"Don't sound so excited," Juice chuckled lowly, holding her eyes when she looked over at him.

Emma nodded at him in vague acknowledgement, turning her head against Opie to look up at his face. "You let this happen?"

Opie shrugged one shoulder. "Don't know what to tell you, sweetheart."

She grunted, giving up whatever she was trying to convince herself she was upset about, moving closer to the big ball of warmth next to her. Her eyes wandered to the TV and tried to interest herself in the movie. Despite her best efforts, she could feel her eyelids getting heavy again, once again giving into the sleep that had been tempting her.

* * *

Juice glanced over at Emma, a little surprised to see that she had already fallen asleep again. Her head was pillowed against Opie's chest, his hand resting lazily on her arm. Juice looked away, trying to push away the absolutely ridiculous feeling of jealousy that was rising in him. The feeling didn't even make sense. Ope and Em were _friends_ , there wasn't a more platonic relationship than theirs. There was nothing to feel "jealous" about.

"Jesus," Jax scoffed. "She's missing the whole damn movie." His laugh made it obvious that he wasn't mad, and that he wasn't surprised either.

"Hey, shut up," Opie shushed him quietly, looking down at Emma to make sure the loud sound hadn't woke her up.

Juice felt that feeling again, but made sure to push it down even further. He cleared his throat. "Do you guys know who that Jim guy from school is?"

Jax made a disgusted sound at the mention of the name. "Jim Michael's? I can't fuckin' stand that guy.

"Nothin' but bad news," Opie agreed, toying with the ends of Emma's long hair as though he was looking for split ends.

Their distaste towards Jim confirmed Juice's suspicions of the guy. "Thought so."

Jax eyed him from the corner of his eye. He had a feeling he knew why Juice was bringing him up at all. He had seen Jim at the shop a week earlier, and noticed Juice walking out of the office a few minutes after he had gotten there & started talking to Emma. He couldn't tell what Juice was thinking at the time, but now he had a better idea.

He looked back at the TV, humming in agreement. "Yeah. He's had a thing for Em since like the 8th fucking grade though. Poor bastard."

Juice raised his eyebrows, sparing a quick look towards Emma before looking at Jax. "No kidding."

"Rumor has it they hooked up sophomore year," Opie nearly whispered, his eyes on the side of Emma's face, as though he was scared to wake her from the peaceful sleep. "But when we asked her about it she would never say anything. You know how she can be."

Juice did know. In the short time that they had known each other, he had gotten a feel of what kind of person Emma was. Somewhere deep inside he hoped that the rumor wasn't true, but he tried telling himself that it didn't fucking matter what she did with some guy 2 years ago.

After that, the boy's conversation fell off, and they all just sat and paid attention to the movie. It was only about 20 minutes later that Juice heard a quiet snore coming from the bed. Looking over, he saw that Opie had fallen asleep too, his head leaning back against the pillow, his mouth open. He must have been the one snoring.

"Charming," Juice joked to Jax, nodding at the large guy on the bed.

Jax half-heartedly nodded in agreement, although Juice was sure he was used to it by now. Juice's eyes unwillingly found themselves wandering to Emma again, looking at her peaceful face as she slept. Just thinking about watching her while she was sleeping made Juice feel like a creep, but he couldn't help it. He had no idea what he was even thinking. He didn't like Emma. No, not even close really. They were friends, and barely even that for that matter. They had only spoken a handful of times, and she always seemed to strike up some sort of attitude with him. But for whatever _ridiculous_ reason, he always found himself thinking about her at random times, or paying attention to her whenever she was around. God, when did his high school life become a cheesy Hallmark movie?

"Think you should go for it," Jax's low voice interrupted his thoughts.

Juice's head snapped in his direction, his brows furrowed out of what looked like a mix between confusion and anger. "What are you talking about?"

Never taking his eyes off the TV, Jax acted as though he didn't even hear Juice. "I mean, what's the worst that could happen?"

Juice slowly looked away when he realized Jax wasn't going to say anything else or answer his question. He didn't understand. Just a month ago, he had been warning Juice to stay away from Emma, telling him she wasn't cut out for a guy like him. Shaking his head to clear it of all the thoughts swirling around, he decided that Jax couldn't have been talking about Emma. That'd just be plain stupid.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Hey guys! I know it's been so long since I have somewhat been consistently updating this story, and I want to not only apologize for that, but also thank you guys so much for continuing to read after all this time. I appreciate every comment I receive, and it just motivates me to write even more. I am going to try very hard to update at least a few times a week, so we'll see how it goes!**_

 _ **Let me know what you guys think of the story so far, and what you think should happen next! I would love to hear from all of you.**_

 _ **Also, it was pointed out to me that a certain part of my story wasn't exactly accurate with the timeline that I'm writing during, and while that is a little embarrassing, this is just a story for fun! While accuracy is important, it's not always the first thing I think about. Love you guys, hope you enjoy. xx**_

* * *

Emma rushed down the hallway, trying to keep her books in her arms as she sped-walked to class. She had missed her first few classes, and rushed through getting ready & sped to school. She was the embodiment of stress today. Looking at one of the clocks on the wall, she picked up the pace, nearly jogging now.

Rounding the corner, she was knocked back, landing straight on her ass. She cursed under her breath, frustration getting the better of her.

"Woah," a familiar voice chuckled in surprise. "Take it easy speed racer."

Glancing in the way of the voice, Emma pursed her lips at the sight of Juice on the floor across from her. He must have fallen down too. Of course this would happen today. And of course it would be him that she just so happened to literally run into. She didn't have the time and energy to focus on him right now though, her books and folders had been knocked out of her arms and were scattered across the floor next to her.

"Right," she mumbled quietly, quickly working on retrieving her items.

Juice moved, squatting down to help her. His eyes flickered over to her face every once in a while, taking note of her erratic behavior. "You alright?"

Emma let out a short breath, running a hand through her long hair. "Yeah, fine," she answered in a clipped tone, not even bothering to look at him.

"Emma," Juice's brow furrowed. "Are you-"

"I'm fine, Ortiz," she interrupted, her usually soft voice taking on an edge.

He frowned. "I didn't mean to run into you, I was going to the bathroom. I'm sorry if you're ups-"

"Juice," she cut him off again, finally looking at him now that all of her stuff was off the floor and in her arms again. "I'm alright."

Her face was scrunched up as though she didn't know if she was more irritated or confused. Looking at her closer now, Juice noticed how tired she looked, the bags under her light eyes darker than he had ever seen them.

Not feeling as though she had the time to stand around and have a conversation with _Juice_ of all people, Emma shook her head quickly, hurrying to get past him and continue down the hall.

The move took Juice by surprise. "Wait," he turned around before she could get too far. "Emma, I can-"

" _Juice_ ," she repeated in exasperation, her irritability and anger not allowing her to be the nicest person in the moment. "Let it go. I don't care about what just happened. It was an accident. Move on."

His mouth fell open a little before he closed it, clenching his jaw. He didn't understand why she felt the need to be so angry towards him, but two could play at that game. He hadn't done anything wrong. In fact, he thought he was being perfectly friendly about it. His facial expression soon mirrored her own. "I was trying to apologize, and offer you some more _help_ , but if you want to act like you're above any kind of interaction with me, then go ahead." The anger in his voice nearly matched hers, and his comment frustrated her even more.

Emma let out an angry, shaky breath. "That's not what I think. Don't be stupid."

Juice's eyes turned into slits, and he took a step towards her. "I think you should just go to class now."

It was like a show down in the middle of the hallway. They could feel the anger radiating off of one another, neither one of them wanting to listen to or tolerate the other.

"I don't care what you think I should do," Emma replied stubbornly, despite the fact that she had been in a rush to get to class this whole time.

The interaction barely made sense. Emma and Juice had never had any bad blood, but standing there in that moment, they felt like they had been enemies since the beginning. Maybe it was Emma's bad mood, and maybe it was just the frustration they felt towards each other. Either way, it was happening, and there was no turning back now.

Deciding that this wasn't worth it, Juice finally turned his back to her, walking the opposite way down the hallway towards the bathroom that he was originally making his way to before he ran into the frustrating pizza delivery girl.

"Fine then," he heard Emma say.

"Yup," he raised his voice so she could hear him. "Bye, Emma." He lifted up his hand as though he was waving to her, and smirked at the sound of her annoyed scoff as he continued down the hallway.

* * *

Opie sat at the lunch table, listening to Emma complain about her morning and her interaction with the new kid. His brow was furrowed, and she was leaning in towards him as though this was all a secret, despite the fact that her voice raised the more frustrated she got & her hands were waving animatedly around her as she spoke.

"Em," he started slowly, reaching over to put a hand on her arm in an attempt to settle her down.

His voice cut her off, and she let out a tiny breath, a little frown taking its place on her lips.

"Maybe you should apologize," he continued, leaving his hand where it was so that she wouldn't start getting worked up again.

Emma's eyes widened as though it was the most ridiculously unreasonable idea she had ever heard. "Opie," she laughed in the way that she did when she was trying to let him know how crazy she thought he was. "That's one of the stupidest things you've said to me. And that's really saying something."

Before Opie could continue with what he wanted to say, Tara Knowles quickly took threw herself into the seat next to Emma, a large smile on her face. "Hey," she greeted shortly, her smile growing when she looked at Emma. "What's up?"

Emma blinked slowly at her friend, but Opie could see the smile twitching at the corners of her mouth. "Your good mood might give me a headache."

Tara rolled her eyes. "Don't be so dramatic."

She took note of Opie's hand lying on Em's arm, and raised an eyebrow at the pair of them. "Is everything okay?"

Opie focused on Emma again, looking at her as though he was about to scold her. "I was just telling Emma to stop being a dick."

Tara's mouth fell open in an "o" shape, like everything was clicking into place. "It's Juice, isn't it?"

"How could you even know that?" Emma scoffed in disbelief. No one had seen them in the hallway, and she highly doubted that Juice had said anything about it to anyone.

"He came into class after going to the bathroom and was like, _really_ upset. It was kind of surprising, actually. He was so tense," Tara looked into space, and Emma could practically see the wheels turning in her head. Breaking out of it, Tara shrugged a shoulder. "Had a feeling it had something to do with an angry little blonde girl. Couldn't imagine anything else he could get that mad about."

Emma pinched her friend's arm at the mean comment, making Tara giggle as she swatted her hand away.

"Maybe you should talk to him," Opie suggested once again, rubbing her arm in a friendly gesture. "Don't want any unnecessary bullshit goin' on between you guys."

Emma rolled her eyes, giving up the conversation. "Whatever you say, you big lug," she dismissed quietly, laughing when he smacked her arm before removing his large hand.

"Who knows," Tara interjected. "Maybe someone likes you," she teased in a sing-song voice, bumping her shoulder against Emma's in a childish manner.

"You're real funny," Emma stuck her tongue out at her, scrunching her nose when Tara did the same.

After a few minutes of conversation between the three of them, Tara stood up, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "Where are you going? Lunch barely started," Emma asked, her eyes following her movements.

Tara offered her a tiny smirk. "I have to go meet Jax somewhere…"

Emma and Opie began to pretend to gag, looking away from Tara. "Oh god," Emma coughed out between fake gags. "Go. Just go. I can't take anymore."

"Oh don't be such a baby. Not like you're Ms. Mary Pure," Tara laughed, beginning to walk away.

Opie put a hand over his eyes in an exaggerative gesture. "Oh God. Maybe you should _both_ just stop talking."

* * *

Emma sorted through the papers in one of the filing cabinets in the garage, making sure everything was sorted and filled out correctly. Gemma always appreciated when she made her job a little easier, and Emma never really minded the work. It wasn't too late in the day yet, so some customers were still occasionally coming in and out of the office, filling out forms and dropping off their cars.

Closing the cabinet, Emma glanced at the paper sitting on the desk before grabbing it and heading out to the garage.

She clicked the pen, looking at the paper to make sure she knew what she needed. "Chibs," she called out once she got closer, needing him to sign and clarify some things for this customer's form.

There was no answer, so she made her way to the back of the garage, behind one of the cars that the men were working on. "Chibs," she repeated, peeking her head around the other side of the car to look for him.

Almost unsurprisingly, she was met by a pair of brown eyes that she was becoming too familiar with. He held her gaze for a moment. "He's not here," Juice finally mumbled, looking away and back towards the toolbox he was rummaging around in.

"Alright," Emma pursed her lips to the side, wondering if she should actually take Opie's stupid advice. She didn't think that she felt bad about what happened, but it was hard to avoid Juice, and she didn't really want them to go on hating each other for the remainder of the time that they knew one another.

"Everything going okay?" She spoke up again, internally cringing at her attempt to be nice.

Juice's eyes flashed to hers, his eyebrows rising. "Sure.." he trailed off, not sure what else to say.

Emma gave him a curt nod, turning to walk back to where she came from.

"Em?" he asked before she disappeared around the other side of the car again.

She paused, looking back at him over her shoulder, waiting for him to continue.

Juice looked down at his feet before looking at her again. "Still upset?"

Emma wished that Juice didn't have moments like these. Moments that made her think he was cute and charming and all of the stupid crap that Tara would say about Jax. It would be easier if she could just feel completely neutral about him and everything that he said to her. She couldn't seem to find it in her to be too upset with him in that moment, but didn't want to let him off the hook too easy.

She tilted her head teasingly to the side, as though she were considering his question. "Guess we'll see," she answered lowly, like she only wanted him to hear. Juice could see the dimple appear in her left cheek before she made her way around the other side of the car and out of the garage again.

He laughed to himself, shaking his head. I guess they would see.


	6. Chapter 6

**So I noticed some not so constructive criticism in the comments last time I looked at them, and let me just say one more time, this story is just for fun. I'm only a few chapters in and am still developing things, and I'm not sorry if everything isn't exactly how you would like it to be. I am writing my characters the way I like & imagine them, but if you don't feel the same way, then feel free to just go and read the other great stories on this website!**

 **But I love you all, and I'm always wanting to put out some more chapters for you guys! And thanks so much for all the support lately, even though I know I can be a bit flakey!**

 **Hope you enjoy. xx**

* * *

"Do you think Gemma likes me?" Tara wondered out loud as she looked through the clothes hanging up in her closet, glancing back at Emma to make sure she was paying attention to what she was asking her.

Emma hummed loudly, letting Tara know that she hadn't completely spaced out yet. "That one's a toughie," she started, flipping over onto her stomach to look at Tara while she spoke. "Don't think she likes you nearly as much as she likes Jax," she teased with a little smirk.

Tara rolled her eyes in exasperation, pushing her clothes apart more aggressively. "Yeah, no shit."

Sighing, Emma rolled over onto her back, staring up at the ceiling. "I don't know Tara. Don't think she hates you or anything yet…" she trailed off for a moment, just thinking of the right words to say to her friend. "Maybe she's just suspicious."

That made Tara scoff. "Yeah, right. Just like she's suspicious of everyone."

Emma laughed in agreement. "Sure. Just make sure you don't bruise Jax or anything, think she'd come after you for that one."

"Whatever," Tara said in a sing-song voice, taking out a white blouse before pulling it over her head. "Couldn't hurt that kid if I tried."

She looked at herself in the mirror on the back of her door before looking at Emma again. "Don't know about you though, girly."

"Me? I've been hurting Jax since we could walk. Sometimes I think he likes it –"

"No," Tara giggled loudly, throwing a nearby throw pillow at Emma's head. "That's not what I meant."

Emma wasn't completely clueless. She knew that Tara wasn't talking about Jax, and quite frankly, she was almost tired of discussing her own "boy troubles", if you would even be able to call them that. She and Juice were now on somewhat speaking terms, and they even joked around a bit whenever they happened to be around one another. No, it wasn't in the flirtatious, borderline sexual way that Tara and Jax did. It was just… friendly banter.

Juice had even been rumored to be interested in another girl that was in their class, deflecting all suspicion from anyone thinking he and Emma would ever be something. Deep down inside, Emma could even say that she was relieved. She didn't need him coming in and complicating things. For pity sake, since when did a new boy coming to town automatically mean something was going to happen?

"I don't want to talk about it, Tara," Emma stated simply, making Tara frown.

Wanting to distract her, Emma glanced at the clock on Tara's bedside table before speaking again. "He should be here soon, right?"

Tara visibly perked up, looking at the clock herself before grinning a little bit. "Should be."

As though summoned by God himself, there was a knock on the front door, and Tara nearly tripped over her own feet in her rush to get out of the room. Emma shook her head, listening to what was happening down the hall.

She heard the door open, and Tara laughing as Jax stepped in. He said something before Tara's giggles were silenced for a few long moments. Emma rolled her eyes to herself, not wanting to think about her two friends making out, despite how many times she had walked in on them doing much more than just that.

A few minutes later, Tara and Jax stumbled into the room, his arm around her hip and hers wrapped around his stomach from the side. Emma sat up, taking this as her cue to leave. She offered the two of them a small smile and a wave before exiting, making sure to close Tara's bedroom door behind her. She rushed to make it out of the house in time, but she could already hear Tara's giddy laughter before she got the front door shut behind her.

It was pretty late, almost 10 o'clock when Emma got off work. Her delivery shift was over, and she sat in the parking lot of the pizza house for a few seconds, looking at the box of pizza in her passenger seat. It was a Friday night, and everyone seemed busy. Opie had called the house earlier saying he would be at Teller-Morrow late and not to worry about swinging by when her shift had ended. Tara and Jax were probably still otherwise occupied with one another.

Another thought popped into Emma's head, and she nearly rolled her eyes for even thinking it. She put the truck in gear, letting out a long breath before she could overthink anything. "Who cares," she whispered to herself, backing out of the parking lot. "Might as well try something new."

It was a little after 10 when there was a soft knock at Juice's front door. For a second he thought it may have been his mom, but then he remembered that she was working the late shift tonight and still wouldn't be back for hours. Who the hell would be at his front door at this time of night?

As always, he was more than surprised to find Emma on the other side of the door. She was wearing her work clothes, but no hat. She had a box of pizza under one arm, her big eyes looking up at him.

"Hey," she tried, hoping he didn't think this was insanely creepy.

After a moment's hesitation, Juice let an easy smile come over his face. "Hey, Em."

He had gotten used to called her " _Em"_ , which Emma didn't find very strange, considering they hung out in the same friend group. She was just always surprised by how easy he had taken to her. She was definitely not the easiest person to do that with.

"Hungry?" She thrust forward the box of pizza, not wanting to make this situation into something it wasn't. She was not there because she "liked" Juice, or had some ulterior motive. She was simply there because she figured that she might as well give the poor kid a chance at actually being somewhat of a friend. God knows she had been pretty harsh to him in the past.

Even if he may have thought the offer was strange coming from Emma, he didn't show it. Instead he moved to the side, gesturing for her to come in. "I could go for some food."

Emma took slow steps inside, looking around the place. It was a cozy, homey place that he and his mother had obviously taken to. There were little plants and picture frames scattered around the living room, and frames with cheesy sayings in them hung in the kitchen. She looked at Juice, the dimple in her cheek peeking out. "Nice place."

Juice nodded. "It's not the best, but we deal."

"Don't say that," Emma laughed, setting the box on the wooden kitchen table before opening it. "It's great, really."

Over the time that he had known her, Juice had noticed that Emma was nice, but very rarely did she actually show it. He would definitely cherish whatever mood she seemed to be in while it lasted.

He moved around her to grab some paper plates from a cupboard, deciding to change the subject. "How's the truck doing?"

Car talk was easy, something they both enjoyed. "Don't even get me started," she teased, taking a slice of pizza and putting it on the plate he had offered her. "She's okay. Nothing new, of course. Hasn't killed me yet though."

Juice laughed, knowing she was mostly joking. Emma loved that piece of junk truck, always saying it had "character".

"Maybe I'll have to take it off your hands soon," he suggested, making his way towards the living room & sitting down on the couch.

"You keep dreaming, Ortiz."

She stood in the kitchen still, facing towards the living room where Juice was. He observed her for a second before laughing. "You know, you can come sit down. I don't actually bite or anything."

Emma raised an eyebrow at him, but accepting his offer and sitting a few feet away from him on the couch. "I wasn't sure. You know, you can never be too careful."

And with that, they fell into surprisingly comfortable conversation. Neither of them had expected that this is what they would have been doing tonight, but it didn't bother them at all. Juice told Emma about how his mom was working the late shift this week, and that she would come home and sleep all day but still try to wake up to make him meals. Emma told Juice about her mom, and joked about how she couldn't remember the last time she cooked her a real meal. Juice was surprised that Emma had offered up any information about her family, he hadn't ever heard her say anything about her personal life before. He noticed the way her voice got lighter when speaking about her mom, and the playfulness in her words.

It went on like that for goodness knows how long, just the two of them talking about the most random of things. Emma would never let on too much information, but just small things that wouldn't leave Juice asking questions.

Juice hadn't ever noticed the way Emma would listen so intently when you were talking, and the way her nose would scrunch in a cute way when she was reacting to whatever you were saying. She laughed freely, her cheeks rosy and her smile lighting up the room.

At one point, she ended up flipping through the channels on the TV, and they argued about their opinions on different TV shows and movies until they were laughing too much to keep up the actual argument.

"Woah," Emma eventually mumbled, looking at the clock above the TV, noticing the time. "It's late."

"Yeah," Juice agreed quietly, hating that he didn't want her to leave just yet. "Is your mom expecting you?"

Emma waved her hand, dismissing that idea. "As long as I lock the door behind me & go in to kiss her cheek when I get home, she'll be fine."

"I'm surprised you came tonight," Juice finally admitted.

Emma adjusted her legs, her knee brushing his thigh. As the hours passed, the feet separating them seemed to kind of go away somehow, and they were sitting as close as they could without actually touching one another.

"Didn't know anyone else who would eat my whole pizza," Emma scrunched her nose again, and Juice grinned largely.

"I like that," he said, almost without meaning to.

Emma paused curiously, eyes scanning his face. "Me too. Pepperoni is always a safe bet."

A small silence fell over the two of them, but it wasn't a silence holding anything deeper than just silence. It was just the two of them. Trying to figure each other out, maybe. They weren't quite sure what to think yet.

"Well I'm glad you came," Juice finally said, his voice slow and more quiet than it was moments ago.

Emma blinked slowly. "Yeah," she replied, not sure what else to say. "I guess I am too."

Snapping himself out of it, Juice stood up, leading the way to the front door once again. "Need me to walk you out to the truck?"

"I think I'll live, Ortiz," Emma rolled her eyes, taking a step out into the hallway.

He didn't want to admit it, but he was just trying to get as much time as he possibly could with her. Despite the fact that they had just spent hours together, talking and talking and talking.

"Yeah, I figured."

Emma turned, to walk away, giving Juice a smile & small wave along with a quiet goodbye. He watched her walk away, wondering what was going on in his head that made him do what he did next.

He jogged after her, not even listening to any rational though he may have had, or any thought for that matter. He didn't think this was a good idea, no, absolutely not. In fact, he wasn't even sure why he was doing it. He caught up with Emma, and caught her by the shoulder. Emma was a little stunned, about to say something when his arm wrapped itself around the back of her waist, pulling her into him.

His heart was beating so fast he could hear the blood in his ears, and looking at her face, he knew that this was crazy. As crazy as it was, he didn't want to stop himself yet. C

"I'm gonna kiss you," he whispered lowly, in true high school idiot fashion.

Thinking she would object or even physically push him away, Emma's hands went to the front of his shirt, a scrunch forming between her eyebrows. "Well what are you waiting fo-" she could barely get the sentence out before his lips came crashing down on hers.

* * *

 **I KNOW I KNOW, you may not like the way the story is moving along right now, but I have a plan! Don't worry!**

 **Let me know what you guys think (:**


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